Minako Hakurei
Full Name: Minako Kazue Hakurei Species: Celestial (formerly human) Titles: Previous Hakurei Miko, Reikokuna Oni Miko ("Iron-Fisted Demon Shrine Maiden"), Bane of Feral Youkai, Champion of the Dragon, Lady Sideboob Age: meaningless (died in late 30s, became immortal) Height: 6'0" Weight: never measured Birthplace: Hakurei Shrine Current Residence: Hakurei Shrine Occupation: Shrine Maiden (former), Martial Artist, Shinigami (reaper class) Abilities: immense chi-infused strength, vast spiritual power, Martial Arts, near-impervious Celestial skin, Hakurei Mystic Rites, can call down power from the Shinto Kami, Shinigami powers Relationships Fan Characters Kurisu Youseikyo - close friend, sworn brother, mutual attraction, possible lover? Koyomi Youseikyo - friend Kagome Mizuhara - friend Casey Asakura - friend, sparring partner Canon Characters Reimu - daughter, heir Shingyoku - servants of the Hakurei clan Mima - divine patron Genji - family guardian Meira - former pupil Rikako Asakura - acquaintance Yuka Kazami - acquaintance Rumia Yagami - old friend, accidental murderer Hong Meiling - friend, mentor Youmu Konpaku - acquaintance Yuyuko Saigyouji - acquaintance Ran Yakumo - friend Yukari Yakumo - friend (of a sort), mutual attraction Suika Ibuki - acquaintaince Keine Kamishirasawa - friend Mokou Fujiwara - acquaintance Tewi Shiroi Inaba - acquaintance Aya Shameimaru - annoyance Komachi Onazuka - friend Eiki Shiki - friend, employer Tenshi Hinanai - acquaintance Yuugi Hoshiguma - acquaintance Rinnosuke Morichika - friend Akyuu Hieda - friend Dragon God Ryuujin - divine patron, guardian deity Kasen Ibaraki - lifelong friend, sworn sister Biography Minako, often better known during her life by her middle name of Kazue ("harmony blessing"), was considered one of the best examples of the Hakurei clan's line of shrine maidens and priests. Using her divine power and chi to augment her body, Minako was a force to be reckoned with, leveling her foes with brutal physical blows and mystic sealing rites. From the age of 8 and onward, Minako trained her body, mind, and soul, becoming a living weapon against hostile youkai. Even two of the Oni Devas of the Mountains confirmed her strength and skill in battle, and the humans of Gensokyo's villages called her a blessing of harmony, hence her middle name. Minako's very appearance, attractive as it was, struck fear into the hearts of feral youkai and even some of the civilized youkai accepted by humans, for she knew the secret rites allowing her to seal away youkai and bind them in Jigoku or Makai, or force them to reincarnate instead of regenerate after death. Of course, this left her perilously close to becoming a youkai herself: she had over seven hundred youkai deaths to her name at the time of her passing. And even as a human, her fighting style was as savage and vicious as the very youkai she fought. Minako's reputation at such a young age ultimately caught the attention of the Yakumo siblings. Unsure of how to approach the fearsome young woman, Yukari held back, but Kurisu, his judgment clouded by a powerful crush, openly challenged her to a duel. Like the two Devas before him, Kurisu was defeated, but not before fully pinning Minako to the ground, a feat no man before or after him ever accomplished. The near loss left a deep impression on Minako that stayed with her the rest of her life, growing into a strong attraction that Kurisu reciprocated. Yukari soon afterward approached in her normal manner, and formed a rather unorthodox friendship with Minako, alternating between flirting with and irritating the younger woman, but also frequently offering advice on how to deal with more powerful feral youkai. Though attracted to both siblings, Minako detested their childish competition for her affections, often knocking them both about when the conflict started becoming less than playful. Despite all this, Kurisu managed to win Minako's trust, enough that she called him a brother. It was a gesture that Kurisu would take to heart, and the formerly aloof, reclusive younger Yakumo became more sociable towards the humans who lived near his home, converting his small building into what we now know as the Palace of Animals. For a brief period, Minako was even able to tame the unstable Shadow Siren, Rumia Yagami. After beating the half-feral Rumia in a duel and tieing her to a tree in front of Hakurei Shrine, Minako left her to stew for several days. A very young Reimu ultimately managed to befriend the vicious, bloodthirsty youkai, and the subsequent friendship with the mother and child would grant the lonely Rumia an anchor, which clinging to granted a clarity of mind that lasted for five years, allowing Rumia to ignore the creeping insanity and endless hunger for flesh that were the legacy of her wounds from the Youkai-Lunari War. However, Rumia is the Youkai of Darkness, and Darkness must always consume. Rumia's madness and hunger eventually got the better of her, and Yukari encouraged Minako to put Rumia out of her misery. Rumia, of course, didn't want to die, and in her wild frenzy of self-defense, mortally wounded Minako. Overcome with grief at murdering her best friend, Rumia made no attempt to fight Minako's last act: using her signature hair ribbon to seal her mind and powers, reducing her to a dim-witted child. Minako breathed her last, and Rumia devoured her corpse, her endless hunger finally satiated. Yukari quickly moved to quell Kurisu's incoming rage and Reimu's staggering grief: she modified Reimu's memories to make her believe that the troublemaker Konngara had killed her mother, and reminded Kurisu that killing Rumia would cost him one of his childhood friends. Reimu eventually adjusted to being an orphan (with Kasen looking after her and a mellowed out Mima helping tend the shrine), and Kurisu's anger subsided, though his forgiveness did not stop him from committing one final love-driven act of spite: he outed Rumia as Minako's murderer, rendering her a pariah even among other youkai, with only Cirno's posse of goofballs being brave enough to befriend her. Minako found herself on the banks of the Senzu River, standing in front of the dock manned by Komachi. With a heavy heart, the shinigami brought Minako to Higan, and then the court of the yama of Asia, Eiki Shiki. Eiki took her measure of Minako's life, noting a lifetime of self-sacrifice and kindness towards the meek, and found her worthy of the heavens. Minako's soul was ferried to the Dragon Palace of Bhava-agra and clothed in the flesh of a Celestial. Minako spent the next few years communing with the honored dead of the Hakurei clan and continuing to train, often entertaining the gods and other Celestials with her displays of skill, while silently watching her only daughter from on high, praying for her safety. She found a bit of solace in the companionship of the Living Almanac, who often visited the heavens to collect information, and left an impression on Tara that carried over into Koyomi. Eiki Shiki recently employed Minako as a reaper-class shinigami, so now she once again walks the fields of Gensokyo. It remains to be seen whether Yukari and the Youseikyos will resume squabbling over her heart, but Reimu has proven to be very happy to have her mother back in her life. Ability Explanation While not on the level of the Watatsuki sisters, Minako can summon power from members of the Shinto pantheon. She also has incredible control over her own body, using her chi to augment her physical ability and amplify her strength, and quicken her mind to the point of having near-instant reaction time. Minako also now has the near-impervious skin of the Celestials, rendering her almost impossible to injure. And as a talented martial artist, Minako has the technical skill to oust nearly any opponent in a hand-to-hand battle. As a shinigami, Minako possesses all the usual abilities, such as being able to divine the remaining natural lifespan and true name of mortals. Like all of Eiki's shinigami, she was given a Death Note for dealing with particularly troublesome pests, but she refused the traditional scythe, still preferring to use her bare hands. Trivia *Minako is, quite obviously, a version of the MUGEN fan-character Hakurei Miko. In the Walfasverse, she is Reimu's mother. *Despite having an attraction to both Yukari and Kurisu, it is unknown with whom Minako conceived Reimu, only that the father was human. *Despite being a fearsome and brutal warrior during her mortal life, Minako is now content to merely train other people for fun and cultivate various herbs for making tea. But woe to those who threaten her family. *Meiling taught Minako some of what she knows in Martial Arts when Minako was young and Meiling was still a traveling warrior. Their stances in Tai Chi are virtually identical. *Minako's middle name was taken from Hakurei Miko's depiction in a discontinued 4koma series from DeviantArt by Rexlent90. The name was coined only two comics before Rexlent discontinued the series, so WatcherCCG decided to use it for the Sagashiverse version of Hakurei Miko. Though Sagashi chose Minako as her given name, the two men compromised, making Kazue her middle name. *A fight between Minako and Mordred Pendragon is one of those legendary sorts of fights that would end with the destruction of all around them. *Minako's distinctive kitsune mask was more than a symbol of her fearsome power. It was also a tool to hide herself with. Feared and even hated by humans and youkai alike for her extreme methods and terrifying amount of power, she remained an anti-social recluse, hiding her face and emotions behind masks. Her time with Rumia and Kurisu enabled her to open her heart, but she continued to wear masks for fun up until her death. The kitsune mask was one she wore in battle as the Hakurei Miko, and was often the last thing a youkai ever saw. It broke during her final duel with Rumia, but Kokoro Hata repaired it as part of her services to Reimu. Walfas DNA *3.39:Minako hakurei:100:229:176:217:189:59:1:2:0:0:0:28294F Category:Sagashiverse Category:WatcherCCG